Automobile direction signal



Oct. 9, 1928.

c. '0. LARSON AUTOMOBILE DIRECTION SIGNAL Filed May lO, 1927 PatentedOct. 9, 1928.

- UNirsosmrss cani. o. mason, or SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

AUTOMOBILE DIRECTION SIGNAL.

Application vfiled-llllay` 10,

This invention relates to vehicle directionl and stop signals of thesemaphore type,and more especially to improvement to the signal devicewhich was shown and described in patent application, Serial No. 68,558,filed by me November 12, 1925. Y

The object of my improvements is the perfecting of the semaphoreoperating mechanism and the provision of a singleactuating lever whichwill render the operation of the signal more elllcient, simple andvconvenient to employ without liability of error.

More specic ob`ects and advantages orn the l invention will appear inthe following description. f

The invention consists inthe novel construction adaptation andcombination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing,-

Figure 1 is a View partly `in elevation and partly in ver icaltransverse section of devices embodying the inventionshown applied;Fig.y 2 is a front elevational view oi the semaphore controllingmechanisms showing the manner of mounting and arranging thesame, themovable parts beingv represented as ochr cupying the positions --whichthey assume when the semaphores are in the positions in which they arerepresented in Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 and 4 are detail sectional vviews onlines 3-3` and 4-4 of Fig.`1.

In carrying out the present invention there is provided a casing 5 whichis secured, as by means of bolts or screws 6, to the side wall 7 of anautomobile body structure. Said casing is arranged to project at rightangles, or nearn ly so, with respect to the car body, and is open at itsouter side as indicated by the numeral 8 in F ig. 1. In the upperportion of the casing is provided a pivot 9 upon which are mounted to beswung outwardly from the casing three semaphores, or signs, 10, 101, and102, which bear, respectively, the legends Right, Stop and Left.Normally said signs are in substantially vertical positions within thecasing as represented by the sign 10 in Fig. 1. The signs are adapted tobe selectively swung outwardly with respect to the casing by means ofthe following described controlling and actuating devices.

To which end, at one sideof the pivot 9, each of the signs is connectedby means of a pin 11 with an end of a link 12 whose other end isconnected by a pin 13 with an arm. of a bell-crank lever 14. Theselevers, one for 1927. serial No. 190,206. n

each ot' t-he signs, are fulcrumed to a pivot 15 extending throughplates, as 16, which serve to keep the. signsv apart. Y v

The otherarmsot the respective-bell-crank levers are connected by meansof attachments, such' as 17, with ends of wires 18, 19, and 20 passing'through guiding tubes `181, 191-and 231, which extend through a pipe 21, to a box I The box 22 is rigidly secured, as by means oi" screws 23F2, ltothe body structure of the car or, as shown in Fig. 1, to abracket piece 24 which is rigid with such structure. The box.22 islocated interiorly Vof the car body and in convenient reach'of thedriver. lVithin said box, the wire is secured to a slider 25 which is.movable in a Lhorizontal guide-way 26 provided in theback wall 30 or'.the box. Theother wires 18 and '19, as shown in F ig. 2, are connectedto arms 27 and 28 of bell-crank levers `rwhich are respectivelyfulcrumed to pivots 29 located above and below theguideway 26. 7 Thecomplementary arms 27l and 281y of the respective levers extend across avertical guideway 31 provided in said wall and areeach providedin itsfree end with a' slot 32. z

Movable vertically in thelguideway 31 is a i block 33 having neareach-of its ends studs 212 and 282, respectively, which are engageablein the slots 32 of therespective bellcrank levers for lthe purpose oftransmitting sign-operating movements to theflatter.

The block 33 is also provided centrally of its length with two spacedapart lug elements 34 tov accommodate therebetween a block shift ingfinger 35 which constitutes an arm of an actuating lever which extendsthiifoug'h the front wall 3620i: the box. Saidactuating lever isfulcruined by means of a. universal-joint connection comprisingaglobular element 352 of the lever seating in a 'corresponding cavity 38providedin said front wall 36. The outside arm 351constitutes the handleelement of the actuating lever. The slider 25 is provided with twospaced apart protuberances 39 and 40, the latter beinghollow toaccommodate a ball 41 and a spring-411. (Fig. 3) which is engageable inAspaced apart recesses 42 and .421

of the' box wall 30 .for releasably holding the slider at either end ofits travel.-`

, Spring pressed balls,."similar to-that described above with respect tothe slider, are advantageously provided in hollow protuberances 40lprovided upon the bellscrank lever arms 27 and 28, the respective ballsbeing adapted to take in recesses as 43 and 44 for releasably retainingthe ball-cranks in their operating and idle positions. Stops, as 45, areprovided for limiting the throw of the levers 27-271 and 28-281 when in-'Huenced by the force of gravity acting to restore the associated signsinto their sheathed positions within the casing 5. 46 represents abumper provided in the casing to overcome the momentum of the signs asthey return into their sheathed positions within the casing.

yTo facilitate the operation of the actuating lever to effect thedisplay of the various signs selectively, index legends as Right, Left7and Stop as denoted by the numbers 43, 47 and 46, are provided about thelever upon the box wall 36 as shown in Fig. 1. Normally, all of thesigns 10, 101 and 1Q2 are sheathed within the casing, whereupon the-slider25 occupies the position in which it is shown in Fig. '2,' andthe block 33 has been shifted from its Fig. 2 position into its neutralposition whereat the block extends across the slider 25 so that thespace between the lugs 34 of the block is directly between the lugs V'39and 40 of the slider. lVit-h the slider and block thus arranged, thelinger 35 is held by the said lugs to hold the actuating lever 35-351perpendicular to the plane of thebox wall 36. To operate the signaldevice for exhibitingthe Stop7 sign 10, for instance, the operator hassimply to press the handle 351 of the actuating lever in a directiontoward the index legend Stop (46) on the box, or in a downward directionin the illustrated assembly. When the handle arm 351 Vof the actuatinglever is thus thrust downwardly the complementary arm, or finger, 35 iselevated, carrying therewith the block 33; the stud 272 of which, seeFig. 4, engaging the arm 271 of the respective bell-'crank lever toforce the same upwardly and thereby cause the associated arm 27 to beswung toward the right hand side into the position in which it isrepresented in Fig. 2. As this occurs a pull is applied through the wire18, its bell crank connection 14 and link 12 toeii'ect the elevation ofthe Stop sign into the signalling position in which it is shown in Fig.1, and w'hereat it is held by means of the spring pressed ball (providedin the hollow protuberance 401 of lever 27-271) engaging in a recesssimilar to 44, provided in the box wall for the lever above referred to.

For returning a sign from its signalling nposition into its inoperativeposition all that is necessary to push the lever handle 351 towards itsperpendicular relation with the box which results in moving the exposedsign intoits unexposed position in the casing and the return of thebell-crank lever into its neutral position as regulated by a stop 45whereat theA same is releasably held by the spring-pressed ballpertaining to the lever 27--271 engaging in the corresponding recesses43. Such movement of this lever also acts to restore the block 33 intoits neutral position. The purpose of the slots 32 in the lever arms 271and 281, respectively, is to provide bifurcations in such arms wherebythe block studs are capable of engagement with the arms 271 or 281 formoving the same at will in either of two directions; and by having, asshown, one of the branches of each arm bifurcation of shorter lengththan Vthe companion branch, permitting the studs of the block to bewithdrawn from ythe slot of either arm at neutral without disturbing thesame as may be required for operating the various signs. The left handturning sign 1()2 is exposed by means similar to those described abovewith regard to the stop sign. The Jeft7 sign, however, is operated moredirectly by means of the actuating lever, the swinging of the handle armof the latter Ytoward the left hand, as indicated by Lef't7 index mark47 (Fig. 1) causing the slider 25 to be shifted by means of thefinger 35toward the right hand, whereupon, a pull is applied through the wire 20,which is attached to the slider, to effect the swinging of the desiredsign into its display position. ln thus shifting the slider to operatethe sign 1 2, the linger 35 acts against vthe slider protuberance 40,and in returning the slider Vto neutral the linger acts against the lug39.

The invent-ion and the manner of its operation will, it is believed, beunderstood from the foregoing description.

' What I claim, is,-

1. In an automobile signal, the combina- Cil tion of stop and directionsigns arranged to swing about a horizontal axis, controlling meansconnected with the respective signs, an actuating device, and twomembers movable in planes at right angles to each other and engageableindirectly by said actuating device whereby said controlling means arerendered operable to effect the swinging of lili either of the signsselectively from its inactive position into its display position.

2. In an automobile signal, the combination of stop and direction signsarranged to swing about a horizontal axis, operating levers connectedwith the respective signs, controlling levers, flexible connectionsconnecting said controlling levers with said operating levers,anactuating lever, and a member adapted to be carried by said actuatinglever into engageable relation with either of the controlling leverswhereby the latter may be actuated toeifect the swinging of either ofsaid signs selectively into display position andsiinilarly return thesigns into their normal inactive positions.

3. In an automobile signal., the combination of movable stop anddirection signs,

means including members arranged for move- Y ments at right angles toeach other for oper- CII ating the respective signs, andan actuatinglever engageable with said members selectively whereby said signs areadapted to be moved at will from their normal unexposed positions intotheir display positions.

4. ln an automobile signal, the combination of stop anddirection'signals mounted to swing from their normal unexposed positionsinto display positions, individual operating means provided for therespective signs, a slide included in the operating means for one ofsaid signals, a block adapted for oonneetion with the operating means ofanother of said signals, and a manually operated device for actuatingeither of said operating means through the medium of the slide and blockrespectively effecting the display of a selected f slgnal.

5. In an automobile, the combination With normally concealed movablesigns, or operating means for moving individually either of said signsat Will into a display position, the means for operating said signs,said means inclu ding two members arranged for movements in a verticalplane and at right angles with each other for the. respective signs, anda lever engageable With either of said members selectively to eiectmovement of the associated signs into their display positions. s

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 16th day of April 1927.

CARL O. LARSON.

